Page 6 - Mathematics

Mathematics Department Program Review
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Recommendation Overview

Recommendation #1:
Adopt and widely communicate the Mathematics Department philosophy and vision to internal and external
stakeholders while ensuring a practical connection to program design and delivery.

Recommendation #2:
Curriculum:

● Review and revise learning goals and pacing guides within the PRSD curriculum to ensure alignment and
integration with PA Core Standards, Assessment Anchors, Eligible Content, standards of math practice,
and conceptual understanding.

● Ensure that resources are implemented by PRSD staff with fidelity as outlined in the resource section of
the written curriculum.

● Select and implement a systematic and research-based basic math fact fluency program for initial
implementation during the 2019-2020 school year.

Recommendation #3:
Instruction:

● Develop students’ problem-solving and reasoning skills through the integration of the standards of math
practice in all K-12 courses, including developing math-specific communication skills.

● Utilize “Number Talks” in primary grades as a repeated and consistent strategy to think about and discuss
mathematics in order to establish number sense and conceptual understanding.

● Embed opportunities for students to consistently connect classroom learning activities to real-world
experiences and events.

● Evaluate the time allocated at each level for remediation and enrichment to determine potential changes in
structure or approach.

Recommendation #4
Assessments:

● Develop high quality common assessments with questions varying in type and depth of knowledge
requirements.
○ Regularly meet to discuss the data to drive future instructional and curricular decisions.

● Evaluate the use of current benchmark and diagnostic assessments (e.g., CDT, ALEKS) in grades 6-11 to
determine which provide the most useful data for guiding instructional decisions.

● Develop and communicate an assessment-based guide for determining course acceleration.
● Update the mathematics decision tree to guide teachers in supporting all learners at the Tier 1, 2, and 3

level (e.g., Tier 1 flexible grouping and differentiation, Tier 2 and 3 interventions for support and
extension).
● Develop and implement consistent gradebook, grading practices, and syllabi across courses or grade
levels.

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